One Merciful Morning, or: The Consequences of a Hangover
by Katie Havok
Summary: "It's only me," Newt whispers, and bites the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking. She whips her head around to look at him through wide, makeup-smudged eyes before recoiling with a pained groan. "And that would be the hangover," he murmurs. Tina hoists a sharp elbow into his side before curling into a miserable ball. / Newt, Tina, and the morning after.


**Warning:** sexual content, as well as some period-appropriate bawdy humor.

* * *

It's the soft snoring in his ear that pulls him from sleep: a ragged inhale, a long pause, followed by a whistling exhale. It brings a smile to his face before he's even opened his eyes because he recognizes that gentle cadence; the only question is, why is she so close?

Newt cautiously cracks open one eye, only to wince when acidic sunlight spears into it. He recoils from the window on instinct, groaning and pressing his face into the couch cushion.

Beside him, Tina snorts before jolting awake, a spell poised on her lips as she bolts upright, threateningly brandishing her wand.

"It's only me," Newt whispers, and bites the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking. She whips her head around to look at him through wide, makeup-smudged eyes before recoiling with a pained groan. "And _that_ would be the hangover," he murmurs.

Tina hoists a sharp elbow into his side before curling into a miserable ball.

"Help," she whimpers, wrapping willowy arms around her head. Newt voices rusty laughter while gently untangling her legs from his, rolling his head to work out the kink in his neck as he struggles upright.

"Not to worry," he chuckles and stumbles toward his case with one gummy eye at half mast. "I've some hangover remedy somewhere. Bugger it _all_ , I thought I pulled it out last night, where — _ah_ , here it is." He stands to present it with a flourish.

Tina groans theatrically while reaching for it, her eyes screwed shut. _"Gimme."_

Newt diverts to the sink instead, drawing her a large glass of water before gingerly putting himself at her side. "I _told_ you," he scolds gently as she leverages herself upright, "that you were drinking well beyond your capacity. But did you listen to me?"

She shoots him a baleful look while knocking back the cut-glass vial. He blithely ignores it, warming to his subject. "No. You choose to keep drinking. Then, you _insisted_ I dance with you, calling my _entire paternal lineage_ into question when I refused."

Tina sets the bottle aside, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow with exaggerated polite interest.

"After that," he rambles on, "I _finally_ agreed to a dance, only for you to—"

Newt cuts himself off with a snap when the memory of the previous evening returns in a flash: _Tina going through Lobe Blaster's like water; Tina enthusiastically cutting a rug in the middle of a smoky jazz club dance floor; Tina using the ends of his bowtie to pull him close and whispering, voice whiskey-thick in his ear, "You can touch me, you know. I won't break," when he insisted on keeping his hands to himself._

Tina smirks at him before lifting a slender hand. He holds his breath when she touches his throat, only to pull back with the waxy remnants of lipstick staining her fingertips.

"So it _wasn't_ a dream," she whispers, rubbing the red pigment between her fingers.

Newt can't think of anything clever to say to that, so he settles on the simplest response. "No. It wasn't."

Her dark eyes gleam when she nervously fingers the crumpled edge of her Ford dress. "I'm guessing it wasn't, um, some other woman who…?" She gestures vaguely toward his neck and Newt, recalling the feel of her warm lips pressed to his pulse-point, clears his throat roughly.

"It wasn't," he agrees, and is gobsmacked when she clasps her hands and sighs deeply, lips curling into a self-satisfied smile.

"Well," Tina says, and dips her head to look at him through thick eyelashes. "Now what?"

* * *

Some awkwardness lingers between them after Tina's revelation, but not as much as Newt would have guessed. She excuses herself to wash up as he stammers through an explanation about attending to his creatures, and they share hesitant smiles before going their separate ways.

Newt uses his time alone to examine each memory of the night before, analyzing it carefully before setting it aside. He can't afford to get distracted around the more dangerous beasts but he allows his thoughts to wander while feeding the tamer creatures, and invariably they all lead back to the same place: Tina in his arms; Tina against his lips; Tina filling his senses completely and without apology as she pleads with him for _more Newt, please!_ and he gently but firmly rebuffs her.

He's somber when he climbs out of the case, braced for whatever rejection she may offer as he hauls along fresh tomatoes and mushrooms for their breakfast, and finding her not yet returned from her ablutions, sets about preparing food. He's grating the sharp English cheddar she prefers over scrambled eggs when Tina enters the room.

Newt indulges in a single, long look before turning back to the skillet so his flaming cheeks don't give him away.

Tina is almost too lovely to look at in the pastel morning light, face scrubbed clean of cosmetics and her dark hair slicked back from her temples. She's wearing a casual, _short_ nightgown with a ratty housecoat tossed over it, her pale legs on full display.

The sense memory of her lips on his throat visits him again, the sensations soft but _primal_ , and he locks his throat against a low groan, reciting the properties of Swooping Evil venom to himself until his hands are steady.

"This looks really good," Tina says brightly and sets the table with a flick of her wand. He grimaces into the pan before plastering on a hectic smile and turning to her. He nearly drops their meal when she moves _just so_ and her robe slips to reveal an elegant shoulder, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth when he stumbles before righting himself.

"Sorry, sorry," Newt mumbles and fetches the stack of toast. She's helping herself when he turns back, making appreciative sounds over the fat German sausages she prefers.

He concentrates on breakfast as he shovels in forkfuls of food, all washed down with strong, hot tea.

"You kissed me," Tina says suddenly. "Last night at the club, or maybe it was after we got home. Didn't you?"

Caught off-guard, Newt's fingers relax in shock, causing his fork to clatter loudly to the table. Embarrassed, he murmurs a hasty apology while snatching it back up, feeling the flush climbing over his neck to infuse his cheeks and ears.

"Um," he manages and cringes at the floor. "Erm — I may have…" He deliberately sets his fork aside to spread his fingers over the placemat, closing his eyes while fetching a deep breath. He opens them to find Tina watching him with obvious amusement, delicate lips curled as she tries unsuccessfully to contain a smirk.

"Or…" she muses, and puts her own utensils aside. "Did I...maybe I kissed you." She raises an eyebrow, and Newt reaches for his tea to drain the cup in a single drought. He gasps once it's empty and sets it down to fiddle with the rim, ignoring the way the delicate porcelain chatters in its saucer. "I think it _was_ me," Tina continues, and Newt sits on his hands so he doesn't break her good china.

He finds the nerve to look up when she giggles and tosses her napkin at him. " _Newt_ , it's fine," Tina tells him, smiling in that soft way of hers as she picks up her fork.

He slowly relaxes as she finishes her breakfast, content with watching. Tina eats as she always does, fast and messy, and he uses his wand to surreptitiously clean her up before allowing her to take care of the breakfast dishes.

"You cooked, it's only fair," she explains with a bordering-on-indecent smile, a distinct twinkle in her eyes.

Newt excuses himself to press his overheated face against the windowpane while willing his body to calm. _Denying her was much easier last night,_ he realizes as he watches the city come awake around them, _because she wasn't entirely in control of herself. This morning, however…_

The thought trails off in a wave of reminiscence, helplessly recalling the way the glass beads on her dress had rattled as they left the club, how perfectly _right_ her hand felt in his. _Rein it in,_ his better sense growls, _before you both wind up in trouble_. He silently agrees and is just about to flee into his case, or perhaps the city, when birdlike hands flutter and land on his shoulders.

Newt smothers a low groan but only just, releasing it as a wheeze when Tina squeezes before spinning him around.

"Mr. Sca _man_ der," she chides playfully, "are you ignoring me?"

He stares into her lovely, dark eyes as he realizes that, yes, she had been speaking to him while he was lost to his own musings. His cheeks flame anew as he reaches for her hand without thought, realizing only too late that touching her was _sure_ to send him spiraling further inwards.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers hoarsely. "I don't intend to be distant, I just…" He trails off helplessly and is on the verge of letting her go when she weaves their fingers together.

Tina smiles at him when he finally manages to _look_ at her face "Are you _that_ worried about last night?" she asks, and squeezes his hand. "Because I'm not. I don't remember everything that happened, it's all sort of a colorful blur, but I'm sure whatever it was…"

She trails off as her smile strengthens and Newt, gobsmacked, sighs shakily when understanding comes to him in a flash.

"We didn't _do_ anything," he blurts, and the smile slips from her face as if it were never there. Grimacing, he goes on. "We, uh...well, we kissed a little — you kissed me and, um, my neck — and then we...we came home." He tries to smile but it feels more like a rictus so he lets it go. "Then we sat together on the couch and talked. Only _talked_ , Tina."

Tina looks down at their joined hands, her frown partially obscured by the dark hair hanging in her face. "So we didn't...make love?" she asks their feet in a tiny voice.

Confused by her unexpected reaction and torn by his own desires, Newt uses his free hand to brush the sheaf of hair back, tenderly tucking it behind her ear before finding his voice. "No, love," he reassures her, ducking his head in an attempt to catch her eye. "I would never... I _wouldn't_ do that to you, Tina. Not like that. You'd had a _lot_ to drink, and I had no wish to take advantage."

She stares at him through wide eyes for a tense moment before hiding her face in her hands. "I feel like such a dumb Dora," she says in a low voice, and Newt panics internally when tears squeeze from between her fingers. "I'm sorry, Newt, I really thought we...well, it doesn't matter what I thought, does it? Because it didn't happen."

Desperate to reassure, Newt doesn't allow himself to second-guess the instinct when he folds her into his embrace, gathering her close. "You're right," he says gently, "It didn't happen — but it wasn't for lack of trying on your part."

She smothers a pained sob, and he goes over what he just said before mentally kicking himself. "That didn't come out right," he hastens to explain, and rubs her upper arms when she stiffens. "What I meant was...you tried, and I _wanted to_ Tina, please believe me. Telling you 'no' was immensely difficult. I just... I wasn't comfortable with the scenario."

Tina lowers her hands to bury her face in his chest. "But you just said you didn't want to do...that. With me."

Newt recalls the sensual press of her red lips against his throat and shivers.

"No," he says, and his voice is hoarse to his own ears. "I said I didn't want to do it _under those circumstances_." Tina sniffles and looks up at him, dawning hope brightening her eyes, and he somehow finds the courage to go on. "I...wouldn't turn you down were you to, um, _offer yourself_ to me with your full consent, Tina."

She inhales sharply, winding her fingers into the linen of his shirt. He glances down, distantly wondering if her grip were hot enough to sear holes into the fabric, before finding her eyes.

Tina watches him with predatory avidity, her mouth pressed into a straight line as she considers his words. "Do you mean it?" she asks, and Newt gets the sense that she's asking after _more_ than what almost transpired the previous evening.

"I do," he answers honestly and shivers when she takes his hand. "Last night... Tina, I didn't want to refuse you, but I wanted you to regret it even less." He swallows, the words sticking in his throat. "Do you understand?"

Tina smiles. "I think I do," she whispers before guiding him in for a kiss.

Newt gasps into her mouth as she takes easy control, her fingers sliding through his hair when his hands fall to her waist. Tina makes a low sound as he squeezes her and Newt presses the advantage to deepen the kiss, tasting the soft inner velvet of her bottom lip before sampling her tongue. She gasps when he suckles it until he pulls back to smile down at her as she lightly scratches his scalp.

"I wanted it to be like _that_ ," he murmurs and nibbles her bottom lip. "That's why I wanted you present. Do you understand now, Tina?"

She seals her mouth over his in answer, kissing him deeply before rocking back with a gasp. "Bedroom, _now_ ," Tina breathes, and Newt allows her to lead him across the apartment.

They pause in the doorway to tangle together until she taps his chest. "Bed," Tina reminds him, her voice low and smoky in his ear. Newt gasps when he hesitates too long and she uses her mouth to distract him, backing him across the room until he stumbles over the bed.

They collapse onto the mattress with a breathless laugh, her weight forcing the air out of him as Tina straddles his thighs, causing him to gulp.

Her eyes are bright when she shrugs out of her house robe, dressed only in her filmy nightgown when she tosses the garment aside before sliding her fingers down the front of his shirt, loosening buttons along the way.

"I kissed you last night," she murmurs with each freed fastening, "and you enjoyed it. Didn't you?"

Newt wraps his fingers around her wrist, desperately catching her eyes. "I did," he agrees, and hardly recognized the sound of his own voice. "But today — this morning — this is better. I think."

Tina reaches into his shirt to finger the scars covering his sternum before bending to trace them with her lips. He gasps loudly when she first nibbles, then sucks the blemish before urging his hand to her waist.

"You can touch me too, you know," Tina says breathlessly and tugs her nightgown past her hips. " _Newt_ , don't leave me hanging here."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he says and slides his hands beneath the rayon. Her skin is soft and warm, as smooth as satin beneath his calloused palms. He groans while tracing the hollow of her waist before gripping the flare of her hips. " _Merlin_ , Tina," he murmurs, blinking when she sits up to grin while peeling off her nightgown.

"I'm glad you approve," she whispers, tossing it aside. Overwhelmed, Newt screws his eyes shut when she drapes herself over him, her breasts a gentle weight as she lays flat to kiss him deeply until he pulls away to speak into her throat.

"It's not fair," he murmurs into her skin, "that you are all but naked, and I'm…" He plucks at his shirt to prove the point.

Tina turns her head to suckle his neck, making him moan softly, before planting her hands on his sternum and leveraging herself upright. She smiles down at him while rocking against his thigh. "Is that better?" she asks with artificial sweetness.

He groans before jolting upright, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. Tina laughs delightedly when he buries his scruffy face in her neck, nipping the soft skin before suckling at the hollow of her throat.

"Now it is," Newt growls, and her laughter turns into a breathy moan when he lathers her throat and chest with kisses. Their amusement ebbs away as he struggles out of his shirt before claiming her for a life-affirming kiss. She sighs while toying with the waistband of his trousers, only to gasp when he slides a hand into the small of her back before flipping them.

Tina trembles as he hovers over her to nip and suck her shoulder and collarbone before finding the twin moles decorating her chest. Newt kisses them reverently, murmuring adorations into the inner curve of her breast before covering it with his hand. She arches when he kneads it while dragging his lips to the other side, sucking a taut nipple into his mouth.

"Is this all right?" he asks around it nervously.

She laughs and squeezes him with her thighs in answer, breathlessly urging him to continue.

Newt holds himself carefully still when she reaches for the placket of his trousers, opening the worsted wool. He leans in to kiss her as she pushes them past his hips, wiggling to kick them aside while Tina's hips roll beneath him. She breathes his name, and he murmurs soothingly before latching his mouth to the bottom flange of her ribs.

"I've got you, Tina," he breathes while kissing slowly down her body.

She moans when he dips his tongue into her navel and arches her back with a sigh as he cups her breasts. Her thighs part when he lowers himself between them, and he kisses her lower belly while breathing deeply through his nose, delighting in the pungently earthy scent of her arousal.

He kisses the damp curls at her center, earning a gasp. Her wide eyes find his as her fingers card through his hair when he runs out his tongue to taste her, licking and teasing until her hips roll against his face, short, sharp cries spilling past her lips. His left-hand trails down her body and Tina gasps when he puts it to good use, sliding two fingers deep inside and gently stretching her.

She hisses when the part of her he tastes seems to swell gently, growing warmer against his lips before pulsating rhythmically. Tina tosses her head back and cries out his name, her fingers tangled in his hair.

Newt suckles her lightly when she comes back down, withdrawing his fingers to lick them clean before gently lapping at her still-flowing essence.

He moves away after a final, luxurious swipe, wiping his lips as he crawls over her body. Tina welcomes him with a smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to pull him close as her other slides between them. He watches her face nervously as she encircles his length, her eyes widening when she cradles him before stroking experimentally.

"Mercy Lewis. _Newt_." She sounds pleasantly surprised, and he exhales his relief before drinking from her mouth.

"I don't like to brag," he murmurs against her lips as she guides him between her thighs. "But I was afraid that you would be, er, _nervous_ if I said anything."

She laughs, sounding a little delirious while curling her fingernails into his shoulder, gasping when he urges her legs around his waist before lining them up, positioning his blunt tip. "It's okay," she whispers, gasping when he trembles before holding himself pointedly still. "But please, Newt — no more teasing."

He catches her eye, carefully holding his breath when she reaches up to cradle his jaw and, lip firmly held between his teeth, urge him home. Tina gasps when he sinks in, legs shivering as she welcomes his stretch until their hips are fitted together and he stops, panting, to examine her face.

"All right, there?" Newt asks hoarsely, settling onto one elbow. Tina can't seem to find the air to speak, stretched as she is, so she nods instead while dragging her fingernails along his spine. He drops his head and gasps as she nibbles his bottom lip, until she presses up into him while resting her hand on the bony flange of his hip.

"I'm okay," she promises and twitches beneath him. He gulps while palming her breast, body quivering with restraint. "Really, Newt, I'm fine. Please, _just_ …"

Newt hisses between his teeth and withdraws from her, just far enough to torque his hips before pushing back in. Tina gasps when she thrums around him until he bottoms out, only to sigh when he rears back to do it again. His body settles more firmly against hers as he finds his rhythm, hips rolling smoothly, and she moans approval while cradling his jaw, urging his head up for a smoldering kiss.

"Good," she breathes into his mouth, meeting his eyes when he forces them open. " _Yes,_ Newt, just like _that_ —"

He slides his hand beneath her hips to lift them off the mattress, changing the angle of his thrusts. They moan together when she tightens her legs around his thighs, straining to meet him. " _Mercy_ ," Tina breathes, and muffles the rest of her sighs and moans in his shoulder.

Newt wraps his other arm around her while ramping up their intensity, using her gasps and the prick of her fingernails against his skin as his guide. Tina seems to vibrate in his arms when the new angle suits her, and Newt groans, watching as her head falls back with a cry and she goes rigid beneath him.

"Tina, my Tina," he murmurs, pressing his lips to her rapidly fluttering pulse.

She tightens where he's sunk into her, overstretched muscles unyielding as she pulsates around him. Newt growls when his hips snap forward, gasping her name until he follows messily after her. He presses his face into her skin, shuddering deeply to fill the cup of her womb before collapsing into a gangling pile of limbs and hair.

"You're okay," Tina breathes while stroking his trembling arm. "You're all right. I've got you. See?"

He swallows and kisses the ridge of her collarbone before moistening his lips. "I know you do," he gasps and nuzzles her skin. She flashes a small smile when he shifts over her, reaching down to steady himself as he withdraws before murmuring a spell to clean up the inevitable mess.

Tina whispers her thanks while pushing his hair back and Newt kisses her palm before laying it over his heart. "Anytime," he murmurs while turning to flop onto his back. Tina rolls to her side and props her head on her fist to raise an eyebrow at him.

" _Oh_ , you think we're doing that again?" she teases, and smiles when he looks at her seriously.

"Well," Newt admits in a low voice, "I think I'd like to. If you're agreeable, I mean." He threads their fingers to press their palms together before turning to examine her face. "That — that _was_ enjoyable...wasn't it?"

Tina grins. "It was," she agrees and traces his scarred nipple thoughtfully. "While we're on the subject of repeat performances, you should know that I...well, we don't have to worry about…" She blushes delicately, and he brushes his thumb over her flaming cheek until she can go on. "We don't have to worry about _consequences_ ," she finally mumbles, cutting her eyes to the side.

Newt raises his eyebrows. "Truthfully, I wasn't worried," he admits, "though I'm glad that you are looking out for yourself." He lays his head on the pillow and blinks up at her while tracing her profile. "That's my Tina," he sighs and closes his eyes.

She shifts in a rustle of blankets, fingers sliding against his sweaty skin as she curls around him. He smiles when she lays her head on his shoulder, fingertips tracing the scars on his bicep and inspiring goosebumps as he drifts pleasantly.

Tina kisses his jaw until he cracks an eye to find her watching him intently. "Hey, Newt?" she asks, and her tone forces him to pay attention.

She flashes a teasing grin before kissing his neck, hard enough to make him shiver. "How long do you think you'll need before we can, um…" She twirls her finger in a go-on gesture when he raises a curious eyebrow. "How long until you're _agreeable_?" she clarifies and flicks his nipple with her tongue.

Newt takes a deep breath and gathers her close, brushing her sides in long, tickling strokes before claiming her mouth. "I'd say," he whispers between heated presses, "right about… _now_."

She goggles at him when he surges upright, rolling to tuck her beneath him. "Well, you _did_ ask," Newt smirks against her lips.

Tina clings to his neck. "You can't _possibly_ mean..." she murmurs in disbelief, only to moan when he tweaks her nipple before dragging his tongue up her throat. "Okay, maybe you can," she amends.

He huffs a breath of laughter before kissing her. "You'll find, Tina," Newt whispers as he draws circles on her thigh, "that I have a _very_ low threshold for recovery." He nips her shoulder before meeting her eyes seriously. "And I always _rise_ to the challenge."

She reaches down to circle him, making him hiss. "I can see that," she smirks and drapes herself artfully over the pillows. "So, why don't you come here and show me...again?"

Newt growls as he kisses her. "It would be my pleasure," he purrs against her lips and Tina, smiling breathlessly, wraps around him as he covers her once more.

* * *

Thanks, as always, to Kemara for beta-reading. Come find me on Tumblr at katiehavok, if that's your thing.


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